Most direct triceps exercises place too much stress on the elbows. That’s why compound pressing movements are your first line of defense in the war against tiny arms.
At the top of the list is dips, preferably done on rings. Close grip pushup variations, both handstand and regular are also highly effective.
Next up is any type of close grip pressing movement which can be done full range, on the floor or off of two or three boards.
If you want to do an isolation exercise be sure to do one of these first. That will warm up your elbows and help you get a pump going.
It’s also a good idea to have some sort of biceps pump as well since this will lessen the stress on the elbows.
Which brings us to today’s exercise, the chain triceps extension.
The nice thing about this movement, as opposed to other extension variations, is that the weight deloads in the bottom where it’s most stressful to your elbows. As you lift your hands up and extend your elbows the weight accumulates one chain link at a time and gets heavier every inch of the way. This is a much safer way to overload your triceps while sparing your elbows.
Start with about 2-4 sets of 12-15 reps, once per week at the end of a workout in which you already did some sort of pressing movement. Keep the rest periods minimal and focus on constant tension.
In the video you’ll see we’re using fat handled attachments. This is also a must to lessen the elbow stress. If you have a pair of Fat Gripz you can simply attach them to some chains. If you don’t you should get a pair.
Good luck.
